A trolling motor is a small, quiet motor which is used to propel a fishing boat slowly through the water in a manner designed to not disturb fish. Trolling motors are generally operated electrically with a battery as the power source, thus avoiding the noise associated with gasoline powered motors. As will be discussed more fully below, a trolling motor assembly includes an electric motor and propeller drive which components are connected to the fishing boat by means of a tubular conduit in a manner enabling the axis of the propeller to be pivoted relative to the axis of the conduit for directing the boat's travel. A trolling motor assembly may be positioned either in the bow or the stern of the fishing boat and the propeller normally drives the boat forward in the water.
In order to allow the person steering the boat the free use of both hands for fishing, a trolling motor assembly is typically fitted with a foot-operated steering mechanism. This foot-operated steering mechanism involves a double-acting pivoted foot pedal with a connecting cable set. When the pedal is pressed downward on one end, the cable moves in a first direction and pivots the electric drive motor. Conversely, when the pedal is pressed downward on its other end, the electric drive motor is caused to pivot in the opposite angular direction.
A major problem with such a system is that the cable is prone to breaking, leaving the boat operator unable to control the trolling motor direction. Even if one had a spare cable, the replacement is a long process requiring the boat to be brought to shore and worked on for possibly several hours. Such an occurrence typically destroys the day of fishing. If the day of fishing happened to involve a fishing contest, especially popular today, the chance of competing successfully is also lost.
A trolling motor equipped fishing boat is commonly also fitted with a gasoline powered motor in order to move to a desired general location more quickly than can be done with the trolling motor. However, the gasoline powered motor is not useful for fishing activity in replacement of the trolling motor with a failed steering control because of the noise the gasoline motor generates.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an emergency steering controller for a trolling motor to be used in case the foot operated pedal/cable steering mechanism fails.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide an emergency controller for a trolling motor which can be installed quickly and without bringing the boat to shore.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an emergency controller for a trolling motor which will allow the person in the boat to continue with the activity of fishing.
Other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent from the following disclosure and appended claims.